WATCH ME THROW THE BALL! by Mo Willems

I finally got my copy of WATCH ME THROW THE BALL! I was very bummed that I did not get it the second that it was available. It was a crazy week. But it was worth the few-day wait. I LOVE Elephant and Piggie and know each time a new one comes out, that I will love it too. But this Elephant and Piggie might be my very favorite--which is amazing to me. Somehow, Willems is keeping these fresh every time. This one is quite hysterical. Piggie is in rare forms and has some great moves. Elephant and Piggie are learning to throw a ball. Elephant is all about the "right" way to throw it and Piggie just wants to have fun. The language that Piggie uses after she throws the ball made me laugh out loud. Can't wait to share it with kids. Looks like the next one is out in June! Can't wait:-)

Poetry Friday: Sneak Peek

J. Patrick Lewis generously shared the galleys of his new collection of riddle poems, illustrated with (pardon the gushing) precious illustrations by Lynn Munsinger. This fall collection (Chronicle Books), titled SPOT THE PLOT: A RIDDLE BOOK OF BOOK RIDDLES, contains thirteen riddle-poems whose answers are children's book titles!!!

Pat gave us permission to share with you one of the poems from this new collection. While Rapunzel's and Pinocchio's poems are probably my favorites, I'll share one from a more recent children's book:



Dear Mr. Farmer,

The letter we're typing
goes under GRIPING!
This barn is too cold,
not climate-controlled.
If we have to shiver,
we don't deliver.
No bedding, no butter.
No blankets, no udder.

Stop the madness.
End the battle.

Sincerely yours,
The Cattle


















The round up today is at Wild Rose Reader.

Poetry Wednesday: Two New Gems

Yesterday I set Florian's Dinothesaurus and Lewis' The Underwear Salesman out on the chalk tray in my fourth grade classroom at the beginning of the day to shouts of, "YAY!" and "Can I read that during reading workshop?" Neither book made it back to the chalk tray during reading time -- both were read by individuals or with partners and passed from hand to hand to hand the entire time.

Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings
by Douglas Florian
Athenium Books for Young Readers, 2009

Surely you've seen the sneak peaks of poetry and art from Dinothesaurus at Douglas Florian's blog? If not, get over there right now and take a look! 18 dinosaurs are described with wit, wordplay, and creative multimedia illustrations.

There is a pronunciation guide for each dinosaur name (thank you, thank you, Mr. Florian!) along with the meaning of the name. These name meanings are rich for conversations during word study around root words. Seismosaurus (earthshaking lizard) and seismograph; Tyrannosaurus rex (king of tyrant lizards) and tyrant and rex; Troodon (wounding tooth) and Iguanodon (iguana tooth) and orthoDONtist.

The collection also includes a Glossarysaurus, a list of dinosaur museums and fossil sites, and a bibliography with suggestions for further reading.

Every illustration adds an additional layer of meaning to its poem and makes this a book that will bring readers back again and again.


The Underwear Salesman: And Other Jobs for Better or Verse
by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Serge Bloch
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2009

More wit, wordplay and multimedia illustrations to be had in this volume as well!

This book is packed with short poems (a couplet for the job of exterminator), brief poems (for the job of underwear salesman -- ha ha!!), vertical poems (for the job of elevator operator), poems that take to the streets (for the job of marathon runner), poems in two voices (for the jobs of talk show hosts and ventriloquists), poems that flop (for the job of gymnast), and poems that soar ( for the job of bridge painter and skyscraper window washer).

At the risk of being repetitive: Every illustration adds an additional layer of meaning to its poem and makes this a book that will bring readers back again and again.

11 BIRTHDAYS by Wendy Mass

I am a huge Wendy Mass fan.  I became hooked when I read JEREMY FINK AND THE MEANING OF LIFE.  I've finally read one of her new books, 11 BIRTHDAYS and I loved it too. 

Amanda and Leo are best friends. They were born on the same day, in the same hospital and have been best friends their whole lives.  But when they are 10, they have a misunderstanding and stop speaking to each other.  

I don't want to give too much of the story away so I gave you the basic set-up. This book is about friendship and consequences.  I see it as a great book for reading aloud to third and fourth grade. It would also make a great booktalk book for grades 3-4-5.  There is lots to talk about and so much that kids will be able to relate to when it comes to friendship issues and misunderstandings.  

The concept of the book is a fun one, the characters and their friendship is very believable.   Wendy Mass has a really amazing understanding of kids this age.   To me, this book seems to be for a bit younger audience than JEREMY FINK--more 3rd through 5th grades.

It is a fun read and one I am anxious to share with kids!

SCAREDY SQUIRREL AT NIGHT by Melanie Watt

I was so excited to get a copy of the new Scaredy Squirrel book from my friend Larry in Canada.  What a good friend to send me my favorite books hot-off-the-press.

This 4th installment of Scaredy Squirrel is as good as the others. This one is the story of our favorite squirrel who is afraid of going to sleep at night because he is afraid of bad dreams!  This one is as good as the others--the humor is there and Scaredy is just as great while dealing with this problem.  Here are the things I love about this one:

-Scaredy Squirrel's glow-in-the-dark teeth against the dark of night on the cover are a fun way to start the book! 

 

-Melanie Watt has kept with her usual Warning at the beginning of the book--this one says:

Warning:  Scaredy Squirrel insists that everyone check under their beds before reading this book.

-We get to see SS in his pajamas--such a cute little guy!

-Scaredy takes up scrapbooking to keep from falling asleep.  I find that quite amusing.

-The closeups of SS throughout the book are some of the best expressions I've seen on him. Quite the fun book.  (My favorites are the pictures of SS after he finally gets a good night's sleep!)

-The humor is similar to the humor in the other books about SS. You can't help but smile throughout.

A great addition to books about our favorite nervous squirrel.  Can't wait to share it in the library!

21st Century Visits-March

I have spent the last several months really thinking about what the 21st Century Thinking means for me and for schools/classrooms. I have been reading, thinking, and looking for examples of this thinking that fit in with my beliefs about how we learn. I have been on a huge learning curve and am so excited about all that I am finding. Here are some things that I found recently.

GREAT EXAMPLES OF LEARNING IN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS
I have been looking long and hard for great examples of authentic uses of technology with elementary students. The samples of quality work is hard to find. I was thrilled to find THE MEDIA SPOT. This is such a great site with information for educators as well as lots of sample videos in many genres that can be used to think about the possibilities and to share with students.

I love this post by Katie at Creative Literacy. Using iMovie: Literacy Alive in the K Classroom. In it she shares a gift that she received from her child's Kindergarten teacher last week--an emailed video of her child reading aloud a book he had written in Writing Workshop. In it, I see so much potential for not only assessment but parent education. With the focus on tests, scores, and numbers, the technology that is readily available now gives us the opportunity to create these types of things to share information with parents. And what a great way to invite conversations at home between parents and students.

I also love this post by Kip about 21st Century Literacies in an Elementary Classroom. He shares his own thinking about technology working in his workshop and shares the things that are working at the elementary level.

Another site with great videos to share with kids and to think about possibilities is SAM ANIMATION. I want to spend some time exploring the software on this site to see what is possible. Some pretty amazing ideas.

POSTS TO THINK AND TALK AROUND
I love this post by Kim Cofino called CONVERSATION STARTER. She shares her thinking: "Using technology in the classroom is a mindset, not a skill-set." Such smart thinking with all of the technology being used for the sake of technology. A great piece to use to think from and to use with colleagues.

Another great conversation starter is the post called IDEO's 10 TIPS FOR CREATING A 21st CENTURY CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE May be a list I start carrying around with me. Some great points about education today.

This post by Doug Johnson called "CONTINUUMS OF LIBRARY USE" has really helped me think about the role of the elementary school library. What should we be moving to and how do we get there. I like this continuum, not only for libraries, but about learning in general.

At BuckEnglish, I read some of the best thinking I've seen around the Paperless Classroom. A paperless classroom is about so much more than saving paper. It is about rethinking the role of the teacher and how the classroom actually works.

IMPROVING THE INQUIRY PROCESS at The Librarian Edge is a post worth spending lots of time on. So much packed into one post about the Inquiry Process, self-reflecting on teaching and learning, etc.

In CHANGING RULES OF THE LITERACY CLUB at Education Week Angela Maiers shares her (very smart) thinking of the changes in The Literacy Club since Frank Smith's first writing on the topic. We can no longer hold onto our old definitions of literacy. What does this mean for us, for our students and for our schools?

JUST FOR FUN
And when I was told that I was "underusing" my iPhone, I put an effort to using more applications, etc. But who knew that THIS was possible?

Poetry Friday: What I Believe

WHAT I BELIEVE
by Michael Blumenthal

I believe there is no justice,
but that cottongrass and bunchberry
grow on the mountain.

I believe that a scorpion's sting
will kill a man,
but that his wife will remarry.

I believe that, the older we get,
the weaker the body,
but the stronger the soul.


The rest is here, including my favorite part:

"I believe in destiny.
And I believe in free will."






Tricia has the round up this week at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

Great New Series: Frankie Pickle

Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom
written and illustrated by Eric Wight
Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
on the shelves May 5, 2009

Franklin Lorenzo Piccolini (aka Frankie Pickle) is a kid with a runaway imagination. The simple act of reaching for a toaster waffle becomes a scene from an Indiana Jones movie, and when he's sent to clean up his room and finds his GoGo Robo buried in the dirty laundry, it's suddenly time for WonderPickle to save "the metropolitan metropolis of Metro City" from the attack of GoGo Robo, resulting in an even messier room. Surprisingly, his mom agrees with him that if he doesn't want to clean his room, he doesn't have to. She simply says, "Whatever happens, you have to deal with the consequences."

Life is good when you don't have to clean your room! (Except when the Dryer Sheet Fairy stops magically delivering clean clothes.) And if you're not cleaning your room, you might as well skip cleaning yourself, right? ("Seriously, Mom. You're going to have to change his name to Stanky.") Who cares if it gets so bad that your faithful sidekick, the cute Westie named Argyle, won't even come in your room? ("Fine, you're a bed hog anyway.")

Finally, it gets to be too much even for Frankie and he deals with all the consequences, right down to taking a bath that results in water that looks "like milk did from Frosted Cocoa Loops."

This graphic novel hybrid is sure to be a hit with elementary kids in grades 2-5. I asked two of my graphic novel readers to check it out and they loved it. The way the story changes visually when Frankie's imagination takes hold reminded them of Baby Mouse. They liked the fake-brand-names-that-sound-real, like Frosted Cocoa Loops, and the dryer sheet cape that Frankie makes. I wanted my hybrid (Fogmound series) reader to read it next, but another friend was looking for a book when the first two finished, so we gave it to him. I'm pretty sure this is a book that will eventually make a complete circuit of my 4th grade classroom. And we're already looking forward to the next book in the series!

EDITED TO ADD:

From author/illustrator Eric Wight:

"I just turned in my manuscript for Frankie #2: FRANKIE PICKLE AND THE PINE RUN 3000 (the Pinewood Derby meets Speed Racer), and am writing Frankie #3: FRANKIE PICKLE AND THE MULTIPLYING MENACE (math meets Lord of the Rings). The plan is to do at least a dozen of them, with two coming out a year.

Definitely keep me in mind for school visits next year too. I have a couple of fun programs I'm putting together where the kids help me write a little adventure and then I do a drawing of it, or one where I help them make their own comic. By next school year I'll have galleys for the next two books. #2 is due next February, but we are trying to move it up to this November."

2009 Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes.
Used with permission of Kevin Henkes and Greenwillow Books.

The Notable Books in the Language Arts Committee, sponsored by the Children’s Literature Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English, selects thirty titles each year that best exemplify the criteria established for the Notables Award. Books considered for this annual list are works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry written for children, grades K-8. The books must meet one or more of the following criteria:

• deal explicitly with language, such as plays on words, word origins, or the history of language;
• demonstrate uniqueness in the use of language or style;
• invite child response or participation.

In addition, books are to:

• have an appealing format;
• be of enduring quality;
• meet generally accepted criteria of quality for the genre in which they are written.

2009 Committee: Deanna Day, Chair, Monica Edinger, Past Chair
Mary Lee Hahn, Janelle Mathis, Jonda McNair, Mary Napoli, Kathy Short, Edward Sullivan


Poetry

Bryant, Jen. (2008). Ringside 1925. New York: Alfred A. Knopf/Random House.

Giovanni, Nikki. (2008). Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks.

Greenberg, Jan. (2008). Side by Side: New Poems Inspired by Art from Around the World. New York: Abrams.

Thomas, Joyce Carol. (2008). The Blacker the Berry. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. New York: HarperCollins.

Weston, Robert Paul. (2008). Zorgamazoo. New York: Penguin.

Historical and Realistic Fiction

Almond, David. (2008). The Savage. Illustrated by Dave McKean. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick.

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. (2008). The Boy Who Dared. New York: Scholastic.

Bauer, Joan. (2008). Peeled. New York: Penguin.

Giff, Patricia Reilly. (2008). Eleven. New York: Wendy Lamb/Random House.

Lowry, Lois. (2008). The Willoughbys. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Nicholls, Sally. (2008). Ways to Live Forever. New York: Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic.

Fantasy/Folklore

Alley, Zoe B. (2008). There’s a Wolf at the Door. Illustrated by R.W. Alley. New York: Roaring Brook.

Berk, Ari. (2008). The Secret History of Giants. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick.

Morales, Yuyi. (2008). Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book. New York: Roaring Brook.

Prineas, Sarah (2008). The Magic Thief. New York: HarperCollins.

Reeve, Philip. (2008). Here Lies Arthur. New York: Scholastic.

Information/Biography

Bryant, Jen. (2008). A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Deneberg, Barry. (2008). Lincoln Shot: A President’s Life Remembered. New York: Feiwel and Friends/MacMillan.

Dray, Philip. (2008). Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells: The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist. Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.

Nelson, Scott Reynolds, & Aronson, Marc. (2008). Ain’t Nothing but a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry. Washington, DC: National Geographic.

Prelutsky, Jack. (2008). Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem. New York: Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins.

Scieszka, Jon. (2008). Knucklehead. New York: Penguin.

Picture Books

Chen, Chih-Yuan. (2008). Artie and Julie. Alhambra, CA: Heryin.

Choung, Eun-Hee. (2008). Minji’s Salon. La Jolla, CA: Kane/Miller.

Cottin, Menena. (2008). The Black Book of Colors. Illustrated by Rosana Faria. Toronto, Canada: Groundwood.

Gravett, Emily. (2008). Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Johnson, Stephen T. (2008). A is for Art: An Abstract Alphabet. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Reibstein, Mark. (2008). Wabi Sabi. Illustrated by Ed Young. New York: Little Brown.

Rumford, James. (2008). Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad. New York: Roaring Brook.

Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. (2008). One Boy. New York: Roaring Brook.

Using Nonfiction in Your Read Aloud

This post is part of the Share a Story - Shape a Future Blog Tour for Literacy. The focus of Day Two is "Selecting Reading Material." The complete schedule for the week-long blog tour can be found here.

Stenhouse Publishers has sponsored this stop on the blog tour, and this stop is cross-posted on their blog.

In 2002, Stenhouse published my book, Reconsidering Read-Aloud. I'm proud to say that in the seven years since then, I haven't stopped reconsidering the content or the function of read aloud as a part of the balanced literacy approach I take in my classroom.

Three of the biggest changes in my read aloud over the past seven years are:

• I read much more nonfiction aloud.
• I read aloud more frequently during the day now, and often for shorter periods of time.
• I don't finish every book from which I read aloud -- sometimes my read aloud is a preview or a "book hook."
  

Here are some of the reasons I read aloud nonfiction:

I read aloud nonfiction to teach or review or reinforce content.

When we were studying weather, I read aloud THE SNOW SHOW: WITH CHEF KELVIN by Carolyn Fisher. It was a fun way to review the concepts of evaporation, condensation and precipitation.




I read aloud nonfiction to introduce or review the structures of nonfiction text.

The student population of my school is very diverse. I read ONE WORLD, MANY RELIGIONS by Mary Pope Osborne to promote discussions about our similarities and differences, but we wound up noticing the way each section was organized, the way the chapter and topic headings alerted us to get ready for new information, and the way a topic sentence in a paragraph promoted accurate predictions about the information that followed.




I read aloud nonfiction to model thinking strategies.

I didn't read aloud all of WATER HOLE (24 HOURS) by Zahavit Shalev (DK), but I wanted my students to know how to make sense of all of the information that's presented on each page. As I read aloud the first couple of pages, I talked about how my eye was moving across each page. I flipped back and forth to show them some of the features that mark time on each page. I asked questions, made connections, and ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the cute baby elephants (and at the recycling process that takes care of the massive amounts of elephant dung that the herd leaves behind!).


I read aloud nonfiction to tempt my students to read it more often.

All I would have had to do to sell THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO SURVIVAL HANDBOOK: JUNIOR EDITION by David Borgenicht and Robin Epstein would have been to read aloud a few of the topics in the table of contents (How to Soothe a Peeved Parental Unit, How to Survive Outdoor Chores, How to Deal with Poo on Your Shoe). I did that, but then I read just one complete section: How to Survive Farting in Public. The book hasn't been back on the shelf since.

In another example, I tempted my students by reading one entry in HOW BIG IS IT? by Ben Hillman and they went on to read every entry in all of his books in the How Big/Strong/Fast Is It series.

I read aloud nonfiction that doesn't look or act like nonfiction to challenge my students' thinking about genre.

WHY? by Lila Prap. Are we supposed to take this book seriously and learn about animals, or is it a joke book, or a book to challenge us to think more creatively? (or all of the above?)

TALKIN' ABOUT BESSIE by Nikki Grimes. Is this a biography? But it's written in poems! And the poems are all from different points of view!








And finally, most of all, I read aloud nonfiction for the sheer enjoyment of it -- for the talk we have -- for the connections and questions and WOW moments that come when young people learn about the way their world works, about the people who have made their world what it is, and about their place in our amazing world.